Vernon Search & Rescue Operational With RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector

The RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector can quickly search large areas. The helicopter searches from a height of 100 meters, covering an area approximately 100 meters wide. Searching at speeds up to 100 km/h, rescuers can cover a 1 km2 in 6 minutes. The helicopter-based detector can shorten search time and can thereby reduce the exposure to risk for SAR personnel during search missions.

”Vernon Search and Rescue is pleased to now have RECCO SAR Helicopter Technology to assist SAR Teams in southern British Columbia with wilderness missing person incidents.” says Vernon SAR.

Many Search & Rescue teams in British Columbia are equipped with handheld RECCO detectors for avalanche rescue and searching for missing people, and this is the second RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector in the Province. Since 2019, there has been a RECCO SAR Helicopter detector operated by North Shore Rescue in Vancouver.

“We are excited to announce that the network of helicopter detectors is growing in Canada. Our objective is to make the search process quicker and safer for the rescue teams in the world. With a third helicopter detector in the country, VSAR is part of the journey of making the outdoors a safer place,” says Fredrik Steinwall, CEO at RECCO.

RECCO rescue reflectors are commonly found in outdoor clothing and equipment, such as backpacks, hiking shoes, and helmets. Other applications include climbing harnesses, where Black Diamond recently presented their first ever equipped Technician RECCO harness. The first hunting brand to integrate RECCO reflectors into their products last year is FORLOH, an American company based in Whitefish, Montana.

Currently there are 27 RECCO SAR Helicopter Detectors globally, with 9 in North America and 18 units deployed across Europe. The latest deployments include California Highway Patrol (USA), Alpine Helicopters, Canmore, Alberta (CAN) and a RECCO SAR helicopter detector based out of Abruzzo operated by Italy’s CNSAS.